The Determination Route
by Hollow1134
Summary: "The first time I felt fear…? Heh.. that day in the forest" He chuckled nervously, and put a hand behind his skull, glancing away. "...you remembered... didn't you?" - A/N - Hello, Hollow1134 here. This is a story I've been meaning to write for a while, it's been a while in the making... totally planned out and everything... heh... yeah. Updates sporadically on weekdays!
1. Prologue

\- The Determination Route: Prologue -

"Frisk. you came from this world, right? So you must have a place to return to, do you not?" Toriel paused, her eyes turning from the fast fading sunset on the horizon to her child, Frisk, who was watching the sunset with a melancholy in their eyes. The cliff they were standing on was at the top of Mt. Ebott, just outside of the cave that led into the Underground. The home of monsters. "What will you do now?"

A small smile ticked at the corners of Frisk's mouth, and they looked up at Toriel in turn. "I want to stay with you!" Chara smiled brightly, letting the response flow from Frisk's mouth easily, mimicking the expression Toriel wanted. Looking back at the city in the distance, Frisk sighed internally. Their family wouldn't want them anyway.

"What? Frisk… you really are a funny child," She smiled, and gently took Frisk's hand in theirs. "If you had said that earlier, none of this would have happened. It is a good thing you changed your mind" She giggled a little in the happiness of the moment. "Well… I suppose. If you really do not have any other place to go… I will do my best to take care of you, for as long as you need. All right?" Smiling despite herself, she gazed back to the sunset after receiving a small nod from Frisk, before speaking again. "Now come along. Everyone is waiting for us!" She looked back at Frisk, who gave a nervous smile, and they both started walking along the quickly darkening cliff. Sans lifted his head a little, his eyes half lidded as he gazed at Frisk carefully, his trademark grin plastered across his face as he stood up from his position leaning against the cool stone face. He took a step toward the child, small lights flickering around him, purple sparks, white gaps in the world. Toriel just kept walking, seeming to pay no mind even as Frisk let go of their hand unconsciously.

"Not this time, Kiddo..." There was a snap, and a crack of bone. Then everything went black. "...I'm done playing games."

* * *

 **A/N Heya, Peeps! Hollow here, this is a fanfiction I've been meaning to write for a long time… I really hope you guys all enjoy the ride, as I find time to write amidst school work and other projects. But anyway, see you next time, the chapters will be a lot longer than this, but prologues are prologues~ (Probably a lot late to this party but eh, that's my style I guess)**

 **~ Hollow1134**


	2. Chapter One

\- The Determination Route: Chapter One -

 _Floating in the empty vast darkness that made up the void, he thought quietly to himself. He could hear something, off in the distance, so far away that the fact he could hear it at all made him shudder. Was this what the kid went through every time they activated a Reset? He couldn't imagine having to do this every time… The noise was growing louder, a buzz in his ears. It hurt, but felt oddly familiar. Opening his eyes, he saw a face- Then it was gone, just like that, the buzzing stopped, the static surrounding him cleared… he was at home. Home at Snowdin…_

 _"Papyrus… Five more minutes…" He remembered this morning, it was why he had chosen it. It would make for an easy pith point, This was a few months before the Seventh Human fell…. Before Frisk…_

* * *

Falling. The darkness around them was palpable, the wind whistling past their ears. After what seemed like an eternity, they opened their eyes, strands of loose brown hair in the way of their vision, as they looked up at the thin stream of fast disappearing light from the opening in the ceiling. The cave beyond a distant memory, despite them knowing they were there just mere moments ago.

The dull ache in their back rose to a thundering headache when they tried to sit up, so they just laid there, silent, still. Sleep took them eventually, and the light woke them when morning came again. The pain was gone, but still they lay, the will to try this hell again gone. The apathy was almost as thick as the darkness that clung to the edges of the room, and for having been void of self control for the last who know's how many resets, having it again felt like a curse. Chara is gone…

There was a shuffling of footsteps on hard stone somewhere behind them, and a light humming. They didn't bother looking, Toriel seemed to be on her rounds. After a few moments silence and open hesitation on Toriel's end, she spoke up, kneeling near the child, who opened their eyes and looked up meekly at the goat lady that they had gotten used to thinking of as Mom.

"...Hello… I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins, do you need assistance, my child?" the child just closed their eyes, and took a breath, slowly sitting up, they shook their head. "Well… alright then, you are the first human to fall down here in a long time" She gave a gentle smile, which the child got a glimpse of as they opened their eyes again, to look up at the light, the glint of determination lost from their grey eyes. "...Let me guide you to home, My child" They nodded, and gently took the other's hand, standing up slowly, and trudging along behind as they were led through the Ruins, absently listening as Toriel made comments, and gave tentative glances to make sure the child was still awake.

"...this place will be your new home, so allow me to educate you on the operation of the Ruins. The Ruins are filled with puzzles, ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them in order to move from room to room." She looked down at the child, their grey eyes looking around the room as they let go of Toriel's hand and stepped forward, and solved the puzzle in front of them. The six raised tiles in the floor, if they remembered correctly… _Only the fearless may proceed. Brave one, foolish ones. Both not walk the middle road_. It was simple, just wordplay and a lever press. No challenge. They looked back at Toriel with slight challenge in their eyes, as if telling her to get on with it. Toriel just gave a small smile, and took the child's hand again. "...it seems you have already adjusted yourself well" he led them through the door.

Solving the next few puzzles without much hassle, she led the child to the room with the dummy, and she spoke up. "As a human living in the underground, Monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation… when you encounter a Monster, try talking to it, stall for time so I can step in" She gave a small smile. "Now, try talking to this dummy" The child looked at the dummy, and gave a small sigh, stepping towards the dummy.  
"...h-hello there, um… how has your day been?' Their voice was small and disinterested. Toriel just smiled kindly, and took their hand again, leading them down several other hallways, making small comments as they passed various sights, eventually reaching a long hallway, where she stopped.

"I am going to ask something very difficult of you, I need you to walk down this hallway on your own. Forgive me" She let go of the child's hand and started walking very quickly away, the child gave an internal sigh, and started walking forward, not even reacting when Toriel hid behind the large white pillar at the end of the room. The room felt like it was spinning. Were there always two pillars…? The child commented quietly to themselves as the ground reached up to meet them, a loud thump, and darkness followed.

"My child…?"

"They're probably just _bone_ tired, Tori… let's get them back home"

* * *

 **A/N - Okay, Update schedule is gonna be on Sundays, unless I forget. If I forget this one, you have my permission to message me yelling at me for forgetting, unless I update earlier giving a reason~ This is the first proper written story/fanfiction/thing I've written, so go easy on me, and I might retcon a few things in the future, if I do so, I will edit the chapters before with this change, and tell you all in the new update, because all changes will be made on my update day. Thanks for taking the time to read, I hope to see feedback as the story progresses, I'm interested to know what you think~**

 **Btw, this chapter had an edit in it… I'm gonna do a short segment in the beginning of every chapter for Sans, because without it, I don't think I can tell the whole story without writing a separate companion fiction… which I might do for the present tense, actually. Ideas~ Let me know what you think~!**

 **~ Hollow1134**


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N - Chapter one has been updated, sorry for the inconvenience, I'm just new at this and a few details needed to be fixed… more information at the end of chapter one. It wasn't anything major, anyway, enjoy~**

* * *

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Two -

 _Sans opened his eyes, upon not hearing any response to his small jibe, and looked around. Papyrus was nowhere to be found… He got up, and wandered the house. It was oddly messy, Papyrus would never have stood for this kind of slop in his kitchen… he kept it pristine… he had even forced Sans to help clean one time when he had made a particularly mad mess…_

* * *

Frisk jerked awake, well, shuddered awake. The blankets were wrapped so tightly around them, they were sure Toriel had 'tucked them in'. That.. was oddly comforting, they decided. Neatly untangling themselves from the mess that was assuredly Toriel's handiwork, they sat up, and stretched, the bones in their shoulders and back popping as they did so. Frisk let out a small sigh of content as they fell back into the bed sprawled out.

Staring up at the grey ceiling of Chara's old room, they just sighed, a headache forming as sounds from outside the door started playing out, small crashes and a banging next door. After a few minutes of that, there was a low growl, and a yelp, before a weight settled next to Frisk, who jumped back at the sudden appearance of a certain short skeleton.

"Er, Heya Kiddo, sorry for droppin' in like this." He gave his usual laid back grin, laying back on the bed, half over Frisk, who startled back even more, staring at Sans.

"Sans…! D-don't… don't scare me like that." They looked down a little nervously, glancing at the skeleton a few times, with him just regarding them a with a slightly tense expression.

"Sorry, I uh… just remembering old times. Don'worry bout' it, I won't mess with you too much" He gave a lopsided grin, sitting up and turning to face the human, his feat for once not covered in pink slippers, or anything, for that matter. He was wearing his usual shorts -which ironically came down to his ankles- and his white turtleneck. Upon closer examination of the room, Frisk saw his jacket slung over a chair in the corner… This was Sans' room.

"...I-it's… it's okay. Really… but.. Why are you here?" Frisk tilted their head, in question.

"May or may not have burned down Fluffybun's garden… wasn't a fun day, now I'm a fugitive, etcetera. Toriel only let me in when she heard the King was after me for something I didn't do… heh… it's been nice, here" He closed his eye lids, laying back, careful not to touch the human again -who was curled up in a bundle of blankets in the corner of the bed- and just let himself relax, something scratched at the door.

"...o-oh… why?"

"...no real reason… guess I just didn't like the color red that day"

"Red?"  
"Er… yellow" He fixed quickly, raising a lid halfway to regard the human.

Frisk just gave a slow nod, and sighed, letting themselves relax. "...what's scratching at the door?"

"An Annoying Dog who found it's way into the ruins somehow… I just didn't want to deal with it, came in here… found you awake" He smiled, and raised his arms above him, gently swinging them in a slow arc over his head.

"...heh, that sounds about right…" Frisk just sighed, finding the chilled skeleton relaxing, regardless of how he were here, or what he was hiding… it didn't really matter to the human at the moment, it felt good to talk to their old friend like this again… no veiled threats, no hatred. Just… friends. Though, He was watching them closely, probably trying not to startle them again. "Why was I put in your room…?"

"We don't have any extra rooms, and it's easier to keep an eye socket on ya if you're close~" He just smiled, closing his eyes again as Frisk slowly unravelled themselves from the rather uncomfortable mess of blankets, and moved closer to the other, resting their head in a fold of their sweater where their stomach would be, finding a magical resistance keeping it from just collapsing in. it was comforting to their hurting head, which had decided it didn't like the idea of pain not being present. Sans just gave a small sigh, and wrapped an arm around the human.

"Get some rest, kiddo… you're gonna need it"

* * *

 **A/N - Early Update~ I had some time, I'll probably have a third chapter on sunday too, bleh. If I ever post this anywhere else, I'm going to be combining chapters. ;-; I feel like these are slightly too short, but it's all I can really do with my time restraints. Bleh. There will not be any Frans or Soriel shipping in this Fanfic! I repeat, everything that occurs between these characters is purely platonic, and just for comfort. Just thought I should get that out there… Frisk and Sans were really good friends before the first Genocide run, and Frisk doesn't remember those runs too well when they reset, normally it's the pacifist runs that stick, and a few calls from the neutral run. I'm going to be using a few headcanons and whatnot, so bleh. See you next week~!**

 **~ Hollow1134**


	4. Chapter Three

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Three -

 _He sighed, finally done. Papyrus would be proud of him, the house was spotless… He sighed, looking at the small table in the corner. The only thing that had been clean beforehand. A small book lay on the table, and a fresh plate of spaghetti next to it. "...How long has it been… Papy..."_

* * *

Frisk squinted up into the bright flash of light, a display of magic from Sans, who had offered to teach the kid how to use magic… Toriel had been against it at first, but they had a 'talk' (Which seemed to have consisted of both of them shouting the other down with no regard for the kid sitting in the other room…), and, though Toriel had some valid concerns, she couldn't really oppose the idea. It let Frisk better protect themselves. So, here the kid sat, watching as Sans went through the motions of Blue magic, explaining the finer points of Magic.  
"Your Soul is inherently made up of magic, as you can see when I start using it…" A small bone appeared in Sans' hand, and started floating just above it, his small white Soul flared up slightly, it's normal shake becoming more controlled. "...Your Soul activates. As a human, you are inherently stronger than us Monsters, but you have far less magic to draw on as a whole" Frisk nodded, listening. "Human's by themselves cannot draw out their own Soul, they need a Monster to draw out the Soul for them. Though, I think I've figured out a way to bypass this particular object…"

Frisk pouted, shaking their head. "No shortcuts… not in this, Sans"

He just raised an eyebrow and kept his lazy grin steady. "As you command~" Shaking his head a little, he let the bone dissipate, the wasted magic's scent of powdered bones lingering in the air for a few moments. Frisk just wrinkled their nose a little and Sans chuckled. "Regardless… I'm going to draw out your Soul, just focus on it for now, become familiar with it" His smile faltered for just a moment before the world around Frisk fell into monochrome, and their Soul appeared in front of them, a bright red… though it somehow seemed dull.

"Once you've got a good grasp of what makes it up… try and direct it outside of your boundaries" He directed the human through each step, explaining things as they went. If Frisk had any questions he would answer, and after a while, when Frisk got tired, they just sat under the big tree in the courtyard and talked. When Toriel stepped out to check on them (With pie in hand), they were both sleeping, leaning against each other. She just smiled and took each in one arm, and brought them back inside, the pie left under the tree for a lucky monster.

* * *

Spaghetti, Frisk decided, was actually pretty good. When made by someone who did it right, it was a wonderful tomatoey mess of noodles and the occasional garlic bread, when Sans could get some good bread. With Toriel, master cook, and Sans, master cook in training (A title he regarded with some amusement, seeing as he had really only asked Toriel to teach him how to make pastas) and Frisk, helper extraordinaire, dinners were fun to make, and tasted amazing afterword. Life in the Ruins really wasn't that bad… Frisk had no real reason to return to the surface. Here, they had a family who took care of them, and despite the arguments that cropped up here and there over certain topics, it was relatively peaceful.

Practicing magic was hard, and sometimes exhausting. But it was fun, a few weeks into it, Sans had Asked Toriel to teach them more advanced magic, once Frisk had gotten the basics, and knew how to practice Blue magic. There was no real way for Sans to teach the kid any of the other Chromatic magic as he himself only used Blue. Toriel had gently smiled, and in her passive aggressive way that she got whenever Sans did something she didn't exactly approve of, she went over all of the basics with the child again, just to be sure. Frisk had just smiled at Sans, and shrugged. Sans shrugged back, gave a half wave, and vanished off to wherever he was when he wasn't at the house.

Toriel was a good teacher, unsurprisingly. This was the goat monster who had made an entire curriculum on the off chance another human had fallen, and prepared it in such a way that no matter what age range the child was, it could fit. Frisk giggled a little after one of their lessons, and just relaxed under the old blackened tree after saying their thanks to Toriel, who was going off to do some cleaning or cooking or shopping… really, whatever the other did in her off time. Did she ever rest? Probably not… now that they thought about it, in their months here they had never actually seen Toriel asleep… they'd have to check on that later. For now, the human just yawned, stretched, and closed their eyes. Time for a nap…

* * *

 **A/N - Anxiety is fun~! I had a bad last few days, so I decided to write a couple short scenes about life in the Ruins… I don't really know how much it conveys how it is down there, but since PLOT will probably happen in the next few chapters, I decided might as well try and convey what life outside of eventful events was like. And yes, Sans is learning housekeeping and cooking from Toriel. He's still the laziest skeleton in the underground though~ Hope this was okay for this week ;-; On top of bad things happening, I have Midterms this week. Yaaaaaaaay… See ya on the other side**

 **~ Hollow1134**


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N - Sorry for my missing the Sunday update two times in a row ;-; Midterm week through me off, and a bunch of stuff has been happening… Hopefully I'll have more time to write soon, and maybe even longer chapters? Idk, I'll see you all next week, hopefully sunday~!**

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Four -

 _He would have later found out, that Papyrus had died of mana sickness three months before the Pith point. There was nothing Sans could have done at that point, nor could he go back any further to figure out why Papyrus had fallen ill. He fell into a cycle every week, cleaning the pristine house, as it was never dirtied other than the occasional dust mite, or monster taking refuge in a storm. The rest of the time, Sans spent slumped on the couch, napping, or thinking about how many mistakes he'd made in the plan he'd concocted to get here. He'd just assumed… assumed too many things. Time was not something to be trifled with, that's for sure._

* * *

Frisk sighed as they plopped down in the lumpy couch that occupied most of a wall in Sans' room, that he happened to be occupying as Frisk laid back over his legs. Blinking, Sans looked over at the human and sighed, reaching a hand over to pat their hand. "Can't sleep, kiddo?" They shok their head, and gave a small sigh, the air in front of their mouth misting as they did so, a peculiar side effect of learning elemental magic… the human couldn't quite control how it expressed itself when the human wasn't actively using magic.

One of the first things Frisk was taught about was Mana Sickness, a form of backlash that resembled a particularly bad cold, and was lethal in most cases. When a living entity doesn't use magic, it builds up, and if it reaches a certain point it can backlash if you attempt to use it. Mana Sickness occurring if you let it sit well beyond that point. Humans are a curious exception to most rules in magic, as the royal scientist, Alphys, had discovered during her preliminary examinations of the collected Souls. Until the first time that they use magic, in any way, they don't have a buildup. It stays at a level suitable for life functions.

Another exception to most rules in magic, for humans, is that they can overdraw magic. A Monster has natural limiters that don't let them take magic from their own bodies, as they are made of magic. These limits can be overcome, but it is fatal, albeit if you need it to save someone or some such, it is a massive amount of magic that can be used in a matter of seconds. Humans, however, are not made of magic. They are made of physical matter that is sustained by a steady flow of magic. As such, no natural limiters exist, as the body just draws on the normal pool of magic, so if a human takes too much, they risk a fatal accident.

All in all, it was a risk teaching Frisk magic in the first place, but after giving the idea to Frisk, careful deliberation, and an insistent pursuing of it from Frisk, Toriel and Sans decided that the pros outweighed the cons. Especially in blending in as a Monster, as the differences in their magic were not apparent unless you carefully examined how the human used it, and even then it would have been chalked down to personal preference.

The coldness in Frisk's hands when they wrapped them around Sans' bony hands was overly apparent as the Human closed their eyes and snuggled down into the couch at Sans' silent prompting. For whatever reason, it was comfortable for the human to lay down on the hardest and lumpiest couch in the entire house, snuggled up to a skeleton. Shaking his head, Sans just wrapped his arms around the other. "Try to calm your magic… the breath is one thing, but your body temp is way too low…." He spoke up gently, and as he did so, they heated up a bit, a pleasant warmth emanating from the child. He could get used to this…

* * *

Standing on the ledge, Frisk looked down at the old city of Home, deep in the recesses of the ruins, and overlooked by a small ledge next to Toriel's house. A draft blew by, pushing the fabric of Sans' jacket to the side slightly, though the Human didn't move at all, a slight blue glow emanating from their eyes. Magic, they had decided, was a wonderful thing.

"You done sightseeing, kiddo?" Sans looked up at them from his spot behind the rail, glancing up at the human. It had been a year since the human had fallen.

"...yeah, it'll be the last time I see this place, right?" Sans nodded solemnly. "May as well get a good look at it while I can… fluffybuns may have been bad at naming things, but it is rather apt" They just gave a small smile, and let out a breath, the mist lingering slightly longer than normal, as the hopped back, gently floating to the ground next to Sans. "...Let's go get dinner, Toriel's probably waiting"

"...yeah, kiddo." He faked a broad grin, and just followed along behind the other. "It's almost time…" Frisk quirked an eyebrow at that, and just smiled.

"Snowdin usually has storms this time of year, doesn't it?"

A nod, a shaky breath, and a lingering gaze into the abyss.

* * *

 _You called for help._

 _But Nobody Came._


	6. Chapter Five

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Five -

" _Dark darker yet darker. The darkness keeps growing. The shadows cutting deeper. Photon readings negative. This next experiment seems very, very, interesting."_

" _What do you two think?"_

* * *

Gaster stood on the outcrop, looking over the city of Home, just as the human had just moments before… was it moments? He couldn't tell. Time was difficult when you could barely keep yourself restrained to space in the first place… Glancing over at his old house in the ruins down below, he suddenly found himself there. Looking around the decrepit room, he gave a sigh. It was empty, with hard stone walls that were slowly eroding over time. Tilting his head, he closed his eyes… and found himself floating again.

It was always strange, when the skeleton materialized. He couldn't quite keep himself solid, he couldn't label what state of matter he was in, or if he even existed in the first place. People never saw when he passed, only the human… and now they were just as ignorant. Opening his eyes again, he watched the three residents of the Runs in their new dining room… they had built a new one? He couldn't tell. It seemed new. Or at least cleaner than it had been when he last ate at the Dreemurr residence. Sans lowered his gaze a little at the appearance of Gaster, but the child and the queen kept talking animatedly. When had Sans gotten here? Where was Papyrus?

An odd sensation crossed his left forehead as he felt himself smile, the bones of his skull cracking slightly as he opened his eyes fully, his single remaining eyelight too dim to make out, but brighter than it had been in a while. Then he faded. Faded back into obscurity. Back into nothingness. Back into the bliss of ignorance.

* * *

 _Closing his eyes, he just gave a smile, and raised his hand. "Doc, I think this next experiment will be quite interesting. Might wanna get a few things checked out though, wouldn't want any_ dust _contaminating the system, might interfere with the LV readings" The short skeleton lowered his gaze slightly, approaching the taller. "Like… here" He put a bony hand to the other's chest and pushed gently. Gaster's eyes widened, but the blue wrapping around him kept him from moving. He fell… fell down… "Hehe… Woops, looks like I was right though. It certainly messed with mine" Farther, farther… the darkness growing around him. He just gave a small sigh, and put his hands in his pockets. "Sorry Doc… I couldn't let you go on like this, was nice knowing' you. Good luck"_

 _Papyrus poked his head out from behind his hiding place, and blinked a few times. "...Where did daddy go?" Sans closed his eyes for a moment, before putting the grin on his face again, looking back at his younger brother._

" _...he had to go, papy. com'on, we're taking' a field trip"_

* * *

 **A/N - Sorry for the short chapter and the late update ;-; I think I'm coming down with something, haven't had much time to write either. I would save the chapters I write over the week for sunday so I don't miss the update day, but I don't like them just sitting around, if that makes any sense.**

 **Also... Some of you seem to think that Sans holds Frisk responsible for the genocide runs, and that he wants to kill Frisk. I actually don't know where that came from? And it wasn't my intention at all writing this, so... to clear a few things up: Sans doesn't hate Frisk, he knows that they can be a good person, but power is temptation. He blames the Determination, in whole.**

 **Another quick thing... This chapter might be very confusing, or not, I'm not sure. It's the last chapter in the 'Ruins' arc, at least. Every chapter in Gaster's perspective marks the end of an area. So, yeah. These ones will be short, and go completely out of order in terms of Sans's stuff. Skipping all over the timelines for his memories of Gaster. *shrug* See you all later this week probably if I have time to write and I'm not sick ;-;**

 **Also. Anybody catch the change in Sans' diologue in the last line?**

 **~ Hollow1134**


	7. Chapter Six

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Six -

 _A tiny yellow flower. It introduced itself as Flowey, said something about a Kill or be Killed world… that probably wasn't a good thing. The human just sighed, and watched the flower's attack slowly swirl around them, drawing closer. The human was resigned… Toriel came, fire, a flash of light and the flower was tossed away. The human followed the monster into her home, into the Home._

 _The only home that human would ever know._

* * *

The forest was peaceful at night, or, what they assumed was night. Frisk glanced around the scenery of Snowdin forest, their hands tucked away in the pockets of the blue hoodie wrapped around them. The cold didn't bother them so much that the jacket just comforted them to wear, the underground as a whole was cold. And so was the Human's magic.

"Hey, Kiddo. I'm not gonna be able to go much farther, Royal Guard and all that" Sans glanced down at Frisk, who gave a small nod. "...you know what to do, I'll be watching your back" Another nod, and then the human was alone, walking along the dirt road. It was odd, the way that the skeleton just… vanished, like that. It was almost like a shadow, though he always called them shortcuts.

Putting on their best grin, the human stepped past the empty sentry post, glancing at the camera's in the trees. The whole scene seemed rather unnerving. It felt empty,

Void of Kindness.

* * *

 _The choice to end something… the power, moreover, was tempting. But the human didn't see a point in it, they didn't want to fight, but… Toriel hadn't come out of the basement when they left back to their room. There was only one option given by the Monster. To fight…_

 _A small flicker of red amongst the black._

 **A/N - Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been p busy in the last week, but I should be able to write a lot this week. Shorter chapters are probably going to be more common for a bit, they are easier to write and figure out for me, and will probably be full of smaller themes, rather than a larger narrative.**


	8. Chapter Seven

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Seven -

 _He followed the human for a bit, not really understanding the human… They had taken the old Queen, and… proved themselves. Nobody died, it was as if the human… had known exactly how much the old monster could take, and spared them at the last possible moment. "...heh… can't tell if it's sadistic pleasure or just the heat of battle" He muttered through his lazy grin as his legs swung gently underneath him, the tree swaying softly under his basically nonexistent weight. "...welp, time to keep my end"_

 _The snapping of a branch. An extended hand. A joke played, a joke remembered._

* * *

The human sighed, their arms raised up so that the captain of the royal guard could see them. A spear pointed under their chin, all eyes on them. It really was just a big hassle. They looked around at the small crowd of monsters gathered just outside of Snowdin, the dogs that had found them, and then back to Undyne. She eyed them coldly, regarding them.

"Where's Sans." She spoke up, her voice harsh and unrelenting, even in those two utterances. "You have his jacket, now tell me where he is, and I might spare you." She raised the spear just a little more, the heat of the magic thrumming against the human's jawline.

"I. Don't. Know." Frisk just sighed, they didn't have time for this. Snapping their fingers, the magic in the spear was whisked away, and Frisk dashed forward, jumping, blue tugging on their soul as they soared over the captain, and tucked, rolling along on the ground behind them before getting up in thw wake of stunned monsters, and ran. Ran as fast as their legs could carry them through snowdin… it was only important that they get to the core, stick to the plan.

Standing in stunned silence for but a moment, Undyne whirled around, brandishing another spear, and giving chase, a hand outstretched to try and grab the human's soul in green. "Stop running! Coward!" Though her head was lowered, her single eye dark. This human had guts… She sighed. A shame they didn't know how to fight. And then… they ducked into the treeline, and she cursed under her breath, pointing back to the dogs and barking orders to them- Well… not literally, but. Nevermind- Before crashing through the treeline behind them. "Stop in the name of the King!" She shouted out ahead of her, The human was just out of sight…

Frisk just grinned, stopping behind a tree, and watched as Undyne barrelled past, before making a beeline for the path, they could make more ground there. They would meet Undyne again later, but for now, the dogs were more of a threat. Blue magic sparked, a flare of orange, and the snow in front of them compacted into ice, and they slid along the magically created path of ice, using blue to propel themselves forward even more… it was fun, but fun gave way to raw practicality as the extent of their exhaustion washed over them. Magic on this scale was tiring… They just sighed, glancing behind them at the dogs who had been in the woods just prior. _Annoying_.

Looking back, heading right into town wearing the undergrounds most wanted criminal's favorite article of clothing might not have been the best idea.

* * *

 _Walking through snowdin, meeting Papyrus… it was all fun, but Sans just shuddered as the final blow was stopped just before his brother's sternum… once again the great monster as spared just before the killing blow. "Neutral much?" Sans just gave a small chuckle, and breathed out a sigh of relief. The human wasn't trying to kill them all… but by some mistake… their Lv had already risen slightly… it was never out of malice. "Time to go have a chat with them…" He sighed, vanishing in the shadows of the trees once again._

 **A/N - I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'll have a few more out this week... bleh, I can't keep to a fixed schedule that isn't 'just have one out this week!' so that's a thing. Sorry! Let me know what you think so far, all feedback is greatly appreciated! I have some other projects in the works for when I finish this one, which I will detail in the last chapter of this... _This isn't a long story, it's just taking me awhile to write because school, stress, and other stuffs. Also short chapters._ So anyway, I hope everyone has a good day, see you in a few more!  
** **  
** **~ Hollow1134**


	9. Chapter Eight

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Eight -

 _Undyne blushed slightly, the human's foot raised up in a kick that stopped just short of the Monster's face, but before the human could react at all, the Monster's face hardened and they grabbed the human's leg, swinging them up and their head hit hard stone._

" _YOU EXPECTED TO SPARE ME?" The monster shouted, laughing coldly. "You didn't run, you fought back just like I thought you would." The spear was leveled at the human's head. "And yet, you were still weaker than I thought. Pitiful" She brought the spear down through the human, they shuttered slightly, their body collapsing down as the real magic of the spear vanished, leaving the armor clad monster standing over them, before she looked up._

" _...what are you gonna do with them now?"_

" _What I have to."_

* * *

Frisk stumbled through the luminescent waters of Waterfall's caves, breathing hard. "Why…" They grit their teeth, looking ahead at the rocks sliding down from above. "Why does everything have to be a puzzle?" They slumped down on the bank of yet another stream, looking ahead at the ghastly amount of puzzles and riddles to be solved. "Can't we just have... a single passage… where you don't fall into twenty traps?" He sighed, just looking down at his sore and cut up hands. "How far is the core anyway-"

"-Found you!" A familiar monster cried out from behind him. "You can't run! Not from me, traitor!"

"Can't I just… have a sit down?" Frisk blinked and looked behind him, giving a sigh at the sight of Undyne behind him, hefting a teal spear in one hand. "...Look, I don't have time for this, is there a quicker way to the Core?"

Undyne blinked a few times, her eyes hardening again. "I don't have time for your tricks!" The world seemed to fall away into the harsh monochrome of battle. They say evil is black and white, but here? There's no middle ground at all. They just sighed again, hefting themselves the their feet, and pulling out their soul, tugging on Undyne's with blue, and lashing out with a quick flurry of ice shards, to which the monster just widened her eyes, and raised her spear up to deflect. Smiling. "Well well, so you can use magic?"

"No comment" The human stated blandly, calmly maneuvering their attacks into setups so they could release them quickly, flashes of blue and orange surrounding their hands as they worked, creating ice, while they held undyne down and occasionally threw an attack, before ending their turn, glancing behind them at their handiwork.

"You little…" She raised her hand up, and threw her spear forward, it splitting into three, and three again, fanning out. The human just lifted a hand and dispelled the magic again, before reaching back with their magic and starting their turn again, launching attack after attack, with brutal efficiency.

"I didn't want to fight you, Undyne." They spoke, as the other was bombarded. "...don't force me to" They sighed, as the world around them faded back into the chromatic scale, and they turned, running through the torrent of water behind them. _Everyone is in the w-_ A loud whoosh went through the air. A teal glow flashed and Frisk collapsed forward into the water.

There was an audible snapping of bone, as a certain short skeleton appeared over the human, leaned down and felt along their neck, before there was another snap. The world shimmered and faded to black.

* * *

" _The sound of silence is a wonderful thing to experience… don't you two think?"_

 **A/N - Hello everyone. Multiple chapters this week . Have a good day ^^**


	10. Chapter Nine

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Nine -

 _They floated through darkness for a while, their eyes closed, face expressionless… peaceful._

 _"Chara, Stay Determined!"_

 _The sound resounded through the darkness, and the human opened their eyes, looking up. The world filled with color, water all around them. Waterfall. Yellow flowers. Time again and again. They sighed, sitting up and rubbing their head, looking around the abandoned place... garbage everywhere… they sighed._

 _"...what's the point of being determined… I could just… end it."_

* * *

Staring up at the grey ceiling of Chara's old room, they just sighed, a headache forming as sounds from outside the door started playing out, small crashes and a banging next door. After a few minutes of that, there was a low growl, and a yelp, before a weight settled next to Frisk, who jumped back at the sudden appearance of a certain short skeleton.

"Er, Heya Kiddo, sorry for droppin' in like this." He gave his usual laid back grin, laying back on the bed, half over Frisk, who startled back even more, staring at Sans with wide eyes.

"Sans…! D-don't… don't scare me like that." They looked down a little nervously, glancing at the skeleton a few times, a light blush crossing their cheeks. He just regarding them a with a slightly tense expression. The coldness in Frisk's hands when they wrapped them around Sans' bony hands was overly apparent as the Human closed their eyes and snuggled down into the couch at Sans' silent prompting. For whatever reason, it was comfortable for the human to lay down on the hardest and lumpiest couch in the entire house, snuggled up to a skeleton. Shaking his head, Sans just wrapped his arms around the other. "Is it because of the resets? Does exposure cross over timelines…?"

"Try to calm your magic… the breath is one thing, but your body temp is way too low…." He spoke up gently, and as he did so, they heated up a bit, a pleasant warmth emanating from the child. He could get used to this. With a softer smile than he normally managed, he gave the other a gentle squeeze, and nuzzled the crown of the other's head. Not all humans were bad… and this one tried so hard for him…The forest was peaceful at night, or, what they assumed was night. Frisk glanced around the scenery of Snowdin forest, their hands tucked away in the pockets of the blue hoodie wrapped around them. The cold didn't bother them so much that the jacket just comforted them to wear, the underground as a whole was cold. And so was the Human's magic.

Putting on their best grin, the human stepped past the empty sentry post, glancing at the camera's in the trees. The whole scene seemed rather familiar, the emptiness almost comforting… Frisk stumbled through the luminescent waters of Waterfall's caves, breathing hard. "Why…" They grit their teeth, looking ahead at the rocks sliding down from above. "Why does everything have to be a puzzle?" They slumped down on the bank of yet another stream, looking ahead at the ghastly amount of puzzles and riddles to be solved. "Can't we just have... a single passage… where you don't fall into twenty traps?" They sighed, just looking down at their sore and cut up hands. "How far is the core anyway-"

"-Found you!" A familiar monster cried out from behind them.

"Can't we just… Talk?" Frisk blinked and looked behind themselves, giving a sigh at the sight of Undyne behind them, hefting a teal spear in one hand.

Undyne blinked a few times, her eyes hardening again. "I don't have time for talking with traitors!" The world seemed to fall away into the harsh monochrome of battle. They just regarded the scene around them coolly, and sighed again.

"I don't want to fight you, Undyn-" A loud whoosh went through the air. A teal glow flashed and Frisk collapsed forward into the water.

"...kiddo... I only have so many tries… we trained you for a reason..." Sans' hands clenched around the rail, and he stared out over the edge of a balcony overlooking Home. The grey expanse dull, the only sounds the draft that blew threw the Ruins and the various Monsters that remained in the Ruins. Two buttons hovered in front of the skeleton… with a shaking hand, he reached out, and another crack ran through his skull.

"...some rain would be nice every once and awhile... " He looked up, as the world was stripped of it's color first, before fading to black… the strings of code wrapping around him, preserving him… and then he was back in Snowdin, the world forming around him again as a spark of yellow caught his attention. "Though… I suppose ...it's raining somewhere else…" He sighed, looking up at his house, the roof looking like it's about to cave in.

He sighed again, the air rushing from his jawline, like a vacuum. He reached his hand behind his skull, and felt along each crack, each ravine that slip his head even further. Some bigger, some smaller… He couldn't count them anymore… this was the first to actually split bone though. He looked over his house again, and just gave a shrug, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets, and flopping onto the couch… he couldn't count how many times he just.. Let time slip away. No plan. Just.. forgetting. Letting the human pass through normally… but every time they died… he knew. A tug would pull on his soul, and he could almost see them, pouting at him… begging for another chance.

"...anyone can be a good person… if they just try"

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, before his lazy grin slipped back onto his face, the lumpy couch underneath him digging into his pelvis… but he didn't mind. As long as he didn't have to think. "...heh… maybe tomorrow, bro"

* * *

 _"...I could just end all of this… the resets… the monsters… the war… make it like none of this ever happened in the first place." They smiled, giggling a little. It was unnerving… just how much power they realized they had. A monster jumped out at them… what was it? A dummy? That's a stupid monster… and in the way… they just needed. They just needed to end it… Glad Dummy, it was called? Well… at least it's happy in it's last moments._

 **A/N - What's happening, I wonder...**


	11. Chapter Ten

\- The Determination Route: Chapter Ten -

" _...all I know is, I can't afford to not care anymore"_

* * *

Jerking awake, Sans gripped his head as his eyes widened more than they probably should have. Screams ripped through his head, and dislodged themselves from his mouth, the cracks in his skull seaming to split farther and farther apart as he let loose a cry like no other. The cry of a caged animal, just desperate enough to do something stupid.

* * *

Groaning, Frisk propped themselves up on one elbow, holding their head as they blinked, the dimness of the room around them somehow comforting.. The lack of light honestly a blessing with how much they hurt, they didn't want to deal with light sensitivity too. That would just be insult to injury… Sighing, they felt along their legs, and back, where it hurt… and found nothing broken, fractured, or remotely damaged. Just sore, and bruised. Glancing around, they sighed, deja-vu running rampant through their head as they stood up, unsteadily, and took a few steps forward, the dark space ahead lit gently by a stream of light from above.

"Heya… I'm Flowey, Flowey the flower!" Something spoke up in front of him… a flower? That's what it called itself. It was a small yellow bloom… Friek just tried walking past, before tripping as they stepped just past, something wrapped tight around their ankle, looking down… he grimaced… something was definitely broken. 'You're new to the underground, arentcha?" The flower grinned, and winked, "Someone needs to teach you how things work around here… I guess little old me will have to do…" The purple walls faded back into a dull grey, the yellow of the flowers bloom fading to a slightly brighter shade, the only color coming from a small red heart floating in between them. "See that? That's your soul, the very culmination of your being… everything you represent, and everything you are... " A small white pellet blinked into existence next to the flower as they talked. "See this? This is a friendliness pellet… move your soul around,, try to catch as many as you can!" The flower cheered, smiling happily.

" _It's a trick…"_ A voice rang out in their head, deeper than their normal mental voice. He grimaced again. Strange talking flower that had trapped him, or the voices in his head? " _Nine times out of ten, the voice at least helps you before it screws you over, kiddo_ " Well, that settled it… They groaned a bit, just trying to sit up, the heart moving seemingly of it's own accord. It just seemed so natural to Frisk… who sighed and looked at the Flower, raising a hand as a flame flickered to existence in his palm, after a flicker of orange and blue light swirling in his palm. Blinking at the fire, he simply condensed it and burned away the vine, before retracting their heart in a show of mercy, and walking away, color returning to the world around them as the Flower stared after them.

"Hehe… interesting… So the smiley trash bag is helping you, huh?" Glancing back at the flower, it had already vanished. Huh. They shrugged, and just kept walking, as a headache forming in their head, their vision swam before them as a large… goat lady? Stepped in front of them, smiling, and said something as they pitched forward, hitting the ground with a loud thump.

"Nnngg… not again" They breathed out as the world faded.

* * *

" _Papyrus… do you really believe that anybody can be good?" The taller skeleton looked down at Sans, and smiled gently, leaning down to come face to face with the shorter one, who had fallen into a snowbank, extending a hand._

" _Of course, if the Great Papyrus can do it, anyone can!"_

" _Hehe… Maybe I'll give it a shot"_

 **A/N - Sorry about the lack of uploads, I've been a bit busy, so just bear with me *smile* I hope you all enjoy, I'll see you next time!**

 **~Hollow1134**


	12. Finale

Life, as meaningless at is all seems… affects everything. One Human, changed everything in but a week for the Monsters of the Underground. Transversely, one Monster had changed everything for a single human… What does that say about the value of life? Is all life really the same?

If you accept that, then you accept the fundamental difference between 'all life' and 'all life of a species'. One Monster is to other Monsters as a Human is to other Humans, but Humans view Monsters as lesser, and Monsters accept the simple fact that Humans are stronger than them. Why is it then, that Monsters can affect Humans at all? Because some Humans refuse to accept this simple fact, and let the Monsters in. Just as a family pet affects the family… they start to think that the pet is part of the family as a whole. But really… if you had a generic family, a mother, father, two kids and a dog… if you had to choose one to die, you'd choose the dog. Why is that?

Now, some people may see this as biased and immoral to even discuss this… but dogs are lesser than humans, they were domesticated by humans, and rely on them to survive. We don't rely on dogs to live… well, some of us do, but the same feet can be accomplished by a human, though there aren't many humans who would take the place of a service dog in the practical sense… nonetheless, there are people who do, which proves that we don't need dogs. We do however need other humans. To reproduce, to diminish physiological effects of isolation, and to accomplish what we can't alone. In the same Sense with Monsters, Monsters don't need humans, but they also live in a world dominated by Humans. The Humans trapped them in the underground, and most of the Monster technology is based on and built with material found in the dump, an underground pile of trash, where all of the nearby human trash ends up. So, Monsters do rely on Humans for their technology, and their current home is due to the humans. Their entire existence after the great war is defined by what the Humans did to them.

Back to the original point… wrapping up a story like this, left with a cliffhanger and obscure ranting of the value of life… I expect you to want to know what happened next? Well… If you haven't already caught on…

A particular skeleton, a Monster, who calls himself Sans, stole something. And like the shot heard around the world… it changed everything. Suddenly… The Human was put in the place of the Monster. Who can only affect who they find… and the Monster, was able to affect everything. There is an immutable law of the world… this law, is called Determination. It is known, that only one thing can possess the power that accommodates this: The Reset. The Creature that possesses the Reset is the most determined creature in the world, or so they say… nobody knows really what makes this possible, but… Determination, is the power to overcome any challenge, and move past any hardship. To never back down, no matter how long it takes… the Reset, is a power that allows someone to do just that, they can try and try again, as many times as they need… any situation can be redone, overcome, accomplished… any secret known, anything done without consequence. Determination, is what makes people amazing, and the Reset, is what makes people empty and void of meaning. If anything is possible, nothing has any meaning, you can always just go back… and restart.

This Monster… stole the Determination of a particular Human. This Human held the Reset. And then… they didn't. However, it is also a known fact that Monsters are incapable of possessing anything more than the barest amounts of Determination, which is why their Souls are incapable of remaining material when they die. The Human was used as a puppet by the Monster, sent back over and over… to achieve a particular end. The Human had reached this end already… but it had never been enough for them, and they went farther… to Genocide. The Monster used this as a means of forcing them to find the ending again, and staying there… to never go back…

And so… we come back to our story. Welcome, to the final chapter of _The Determination Route_.

\- The Determination Route: Finale -

They felt like they were floating through darkness… like it was palpable, you could reach through it, like water… Heh, it was funny, really. They hadn't felt this in so long… what would they see, if they opened their eyes? The dim orange glow in the distance… the static… Could they bare it again? Heh… hehe… They started laughing, their eyes slowly opening again, the dull grey of their surroundings making themselves evident.. Not from a lack of color, just from a lack of light, more so. The only flicker of it from a small crack in the doorway ahead of them, voices… voices? Heh… They gave a few more chuckles, before becoming quite somber… what had that been? Why laughter? They passed their gaze around the room once again, before sitting up, and stretching, their naked torso cold in the air of the room, and so they scanned the room again… finding, once again: It was Sans's room. Throwing open the wardrobe, they smiled brightly as they saw their clothes hung up, cleaned, and they threw them on, slipping their arms through the long sleeves of their favorite striped sweater, and pulling on the comfortable shorts they had fallen in. If it really was Toriel's house again, that would explain it… they looked a little off though, no matter. It never did matter… not to them. They could do anything, as long as they were together… together? What was that supposed to mean… Shrugging, they opened the doorway of the room, and stepped out, stretching again, and slipping their hands in the pockets of their shorts… habit making itself present. From where? They'd never been one for lacking posture… Glancing down the hallway, they smiled brightly, lifting one hand out of their pocket to push back their longish bangs behind an ear, and they walked down the hallway… where had the voices come from? It was quiet now… oh, there it was, downstairs.

"...Tori, they're up now, we don't have the time… you need to make the choice" It was Sans's deep rumble of a voice, not that it was concerning, or even frightening… it was soothing, like a jazz band, whose cords were unexpected and lazy, but put together had the smoothest and most calming effect of music, at least that they had heard… the hotel had some good performances now and then… hotel? What hotel… ah, Mettaton's Resort…

"I can't… you know that, Sans… I can't just… choose, between that… they're my child…" Toriel's voice was… alto, yeah. That made sense, in a way… not too terribly high, but feminine, caring, soft… soothing, more than calm. Where Sans was an immovable mountain in his voice, Toriel was an ocean, soothing to look at, but not to get too close to when it's angry. What was all of this metaphor… strange, they peeked down the railing of the staircase, and saw a flash of blue… an attack? What was happening… there was a crash, and the unmistakable crack of rock falling on Marble… When had they ever heard that before? Nowhere… still, it seemed too familiar.

"If you can't, Tori… I will, I've worked to hard for this to fail now.. There's another way out" More rock crumbled, and the floor shuddered. "I can take them when it's time… you can keep them here till then…"

"What are you talking about, Sans?"

"You intended to keep them here… They aren't your child, Tori, but i can respect that you only mean the best. It coincides with my motives, so.." A sharp twang, and another flash of light, and there was a low creak, as a few floorboards shifted, the nails snapping… They took a few steps back, and stared around them. "I'm making this faster. You won't choose, I chose for you"

"They might not be… but I'm all they'll have, down here… All you've done is hurt them…" The pitying tone in her voice made it clear… it was Sans, who was hurt most, and she could tell. There was a cough, and another flash of light… and then silence…

"S-Sans?" The name came from their mouth without any real prompting as arms wrapped around them from behind, a hand covering their mouth… not that bones could do much to stop sound, but the message was sent… 'stay quiet' ...with a few more movements, shifting in his arms, there was a flash, and… they were both outside, underneath the burnt tree, and the arms released them. "...w-what are you doing?" Their voice was quiet, scared.

"...making things right, in a few moments… Toriel won't remember me, and you will have arrived normally in her mind…" He rested a hand on their cheek, and bowed his head towards them as they looked back at their captor. "...I wish this wasn't what I had come up with.. But, it's what's right. You heard there's another exit… find it one day, make things right… but… I need to vanish, I've messed up too badly…" He closed his eyes and grinned. "...but, yanno… it wasn't all bad. I realized something… not everything, not even you, can be truly evil. And… you tried." His grin relaxed a bit, and he took a step back from the human. "...if you have anything to say… say it now" He smiled in earnest, his grin all but gone as he looked at the Human once more.

This was the monster, touched by the inverse of what was presented. A Monster could only be touched like this by another monster… only a human could affect Monsters the way they do… but… that's not on a personal level. Experience… shown or not, is what makes us up. The Human nodded, and uttered a few words, not really understanding, but knowing… this would be the last time they saw the skeleton. A mistake righted… a mistake.

Toriel found the human in the courtyard, smiled warmly, and led them back inside.

Sans had been nowhere to be found.

He had called for help…

And somebody came…

Scattered, broken…

They came…

Again and again…

Two halves wholes, for once… for just a moment… the monster smiled, and took a bow, stepping away from the Ruins… into the cold of Snowdin… splitting, , memories destroyed, remade… and only one remembered. A husk cast off into the river, both Skeleton brothers smiled, looked at each other, and took each hand in the others.

\- Fin -

 **A/N - Thank you, everyone for bearing with me through this mess of a fanfiction… it makes no sense, doesn't have much of a coherent story, and ends on a completely different note than it started. Nothing is really wrapped up, and it's more a mess of ideas than a story. Heh.. it was my first though, and a lot has been happening in my life since I started writing. A year ago… heh, I'm happy I got people to read what I've written, regardless of whether or not it makes sense or not… tell me what you think, I'm honestly curious… and sorry for all the misleading A/N's I wrote in the past, but my thoughts kept changing on it and life kept getting in the way of what I wanted to write… so here's what came out in the end.**

 **On another note, I'm so sorry for how long it took me to start writing again… Like I said, life got in the way, but I came out better for it.**

 **And on yet another note… What should I write next? I'm going to continue with Tangent, which honestly is a short project, it's just taking a while for me to get my muse for it. I'm also planning a One Shot named** _ **What I Meant to Say**_ **Based on an alternate ending idea for** _ **The World Only God Knows**_ **Which is one of my personal favorite Anime… Don't judge me. That'll be a while in coming… so, if anybody has any ideas for anything I could write in between the others, something more like this, a jumbled mess of ideas and themes, let me know! Or you know, if you wanted a coherent story based on anything else, that's cool too, just let me know in a review. I honestly want to know your opinions on this crash course through story writing~**

 **Well… I'm out of time, heh… I'll see you all next time, and I hope you all have a good day!**

 **~ Hollow1134**

 **P.S. Yes! This is an origin story for Sans and Papyrus, and Gaster as an extension. It's extremely convoluted, and was meant to be something completely different, but my muse had other thoughts… but seriously, I'm going now… let me know what you thought!**


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